1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to nanocomposite materials.
2. Technical Background
Energy Density and Corona Resistance (or Voltage Endurance) are two critical properties that are commonly used to characterize the performance of materials targeted for insulation and capacitor applications. A common problem in such dielectric designs involves the maximization of both energy density and voltage endurance. One of the strategies that have been used to improve both of these dielectric properties in the case of plastic materials involves the addition of inorganic fillers of nanometer size to the polymeric matrix. Polymers have relatively high dielectric breakdown strengths but relatively low dielectric constant (DK). Inorganic fillers have high DK but relatively low dielectric breakdown strength. Composite polymeric materials, containing a high breakdown strength polymer as the continuous phase and a high DK filler as the dispersed phase, can offer an alternative in the design of materials for insulation applications that require improved energy density and/or corona resistance.
A classical approach that has been used in the literature to produce materials of improved dielectric properties is to add high DK fillers to polymers in an effort to increase both the voltage endurance and energy density of the starting polymer. Such materials can be useful in capacitors and/or supercapacitors which have an estimated market of about $ 400 million per year. Supercapacitors developed to date typically have high power density, but lack sufficient energy density to be utilized in many applications. The lack of energy density can result in rapid charge and discharge of the supercapacitor and can restrict power output to a period of a few seconds. There is a strong interest in increasing the energy density of supercapacitors to more closely approximate that available for conventional commercial batteries.
Accordingly, there is a need for nanocomposites materials, devices thereof and methods thereof that have a high DK and corona resistance while having an increased or substantially maintained energy density, breakdown strength and dissipation factor (DF) relative to the polymer. Such nanocomposites materials, devices using such nanocomposites, and methods are described herein.